The best tomatoes you can buy—so good you can eat them from the can.

The San Marzano is an heirloom variety of plum tomato, originally planted in the town of the same name at the base of Mount Vesuvius, near Naples.

The volcanic soil and sunny climate grow tomatoes that are among the most sought-after on earth, with remarkable, sweet, intense tomato flavor.

In a marketplace of mediocre tomato sauces, a can of San Marzano tomatoes with absolutely no embellishment is simply exquisite.

Add some fresh herbs, and enter the gates of heaven. You can go further and add olive oil and garlic to make a legitimate sauce; but these tomatoes, served as is, are all the legitimacy one needs.

They’re also low in calories—as little as 25 calories per half cup.

Read the full review and see the three different kinds of tomatoes—crushed, diced, and whole—and how to use them.
 
 
> The history of San Marzano tomatoes.

> The history of tomatoes.